The concept of "American" literature is not the exclusive
province of any one nation. Thanks to the historical circumstances
that governed the European conquest and settlement of the Americas,
we can and should approach the writings of English and French
Canada, the United States, Spanish America, and Brazil as a
cohesive group of American literature, worthy of study without
constant reference to European texts. Now, Rediscovering the New
World makes a timely addition to this expanding field on
Inter-American scholarship that should help lead tothe formation of
a new canon.
This adventurous and ambitious work begins with an examination
of Pre-Columbian literature (and shows that his powerful tradition
remains alive and well in the twentieth century), then confronts
the narratives of discovery and conquest, the New World epic,
identity as the Ur-theme of American literature, miscegenation as
another integral theme, and regionalism as a shaping force. Other
striking these and juxtapositions include a comparison of Henry
James and Machado de Assis as the first two great New World
novelists, modernism as both a distinct literary movement and an
amorphous body of aesthetic principles, and the conflict between
"civilization" and "barbarism."
More in the exploratory spirit of the French Canadian voyageur
than in the spirit of the conquistador, "Rediscovering the New
World" is the first scholarly work in English to integrate an
international set of American literary cultures. It should inspire
other explorers as the field of Inter-American literary relations
continues to evolve.
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